Eastern Student Taylor Hemphill of Norwalk Recognized at Inclusive Excellence Awards

2016 May 9

Eastern Connecticut State University recognized the academic achievements of African, Latino/a, Asian and Native American (ALANA) students on May 5 during the annual Inclusive Excellence Awards ceremony. Nine awards were given and more than 140 students were recognized for achieving GPAs of 3.5 or higher.

Taylor Hemphill '17 of Norwalk was given the Social Justice Advocacy Award. Hemphill majors in Social Work.

Every year the ceremony grows larger as the student body grows in diversity. "How this place has changed," said Provost Dimitrios Pachis, thinking back decades ago when the campus was predominantly white and drew students mostly from eastern Connecticut. Speaking to the campus culture nowadays, he said, "When we hire new faculty, we pay attention to diversity, when we bring in new students, we make sure they come from different backgrounds. Inclusiveness has become second nature; that's what makes this place very special."

The Inclusive Excellence Awards were hosted by the Advising Center.